Apostrophes July 20, 2006

Apostrophes have two uses:
1 Apostrophes show you that some letters have been taken out of a word to shorten it. Do not becomes don’t.
I will becomes I’ll.
Could have becomes could’ve. The apostrophe goes where the letters have been removed.
You use apostrophes this way in informal writing. You should not shorten words when you are writing formal letters. These shortened words are called CONTRACTIONS.

NOTE – sometimes words are shortened in an irregular way. The apostrophe, however, is still used to show where letters are missing.
E.G: Will not becomes won’t.

2 Apostrophes show you that something belongs to something else. To show belonging you add ‘s
The cat’s tail – says that the tail belongs to the cat.
The car’s lights – says that the lights belong to the car.
Tony’s hair – says that the hair belongs to Tony.

Usually the apostrophe goes before the s.
If the owner already ends in s then the apostrophe goes after the s that is already there. You just need to add an apostrophe.

Now try your skills out here. First, play the game and then go on to the quiz. Once you’re done, you can print out a certificate.